Holiday season at fitness clubs has traditionally felt more like the calm before the storm, than a time for booming business. With people so busy with holiday events, parties, shopping and more, fitness goals often fall by the wayside. However as you know, with all the indulging that people tend to do during this time, it’s more important than ever to stay on track.

With the new year looming on the horizon and the promise of plenty of Resolution’ers flocking to fill your gym or classes, most fitness businesses remain focused on those preparations. It’s tempting to spend this “downtime” during the holidays to create an acquisition strategy in hopes of edging out competitors and attracting more new members to your business. Of course marketing and employee training or prep ahead of this busy season is important, but fitness clubs shouldn’t sacrifice the revenue potential of an effective holiday marketing strategy.

Last year, holiday shoppers spent $53 million on health and personal care. So, there’s absolutely an opportunity here to generate lots of new business, with less competition from your preoccupied rivals. With a bit of planning you can create a powerful strategy to drive more new business and finish 2016 strong. The best part is that these holiday campaigns will continue to work for you as we go into 2017, and amplify your New Year’s promotional efforts.

There is also something to be said for increased retention and engagement for members and students who joined during this calmer time, ahead of the craziness. They have time to develop a better impression of your facilities overall, when classes are less crowded and they have more interaction with the instructor or trainer, or don’t have to wait to use their favorite machines and equipment.

That’s why we created this comprehensive toolkit, which includes a best practice guide on how your fitness business can make the most of the season, a week-by-week planner to help aid in promotional efforts, both in-store and with your communications plan and campaigns, including email marketing. There’s also a printable calendar to help you with planning and keeping an eye on all holidays and events, while creating your plan and an infographic explaining the best data-driven techniques and opportunities. Download our free toolkit today to get the most out of this holiday season!